Illuminated spinning toy



March 27, 1956 w. F. CLEVELAND 2,739,419

ILLUMINATED SPINNING TOY Filed April 20, 1954 United States Patento ILLUMINATED SPINNING TOY William F. Cleveland, Rock Falls, Ill. Application April 20, 1954, Serial No. 424,314

1 Claim. (Cl. 46-228) This invention relates to toys, and the broad object is to provide a novel, attractive and entertaining as well as educational toy, particularly for children.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a buttonor disc-shaped hollow housing with string means for alternately rotating it rapidly first in one direction and then in the opposite direction, the housing having electrical illuminating means actuated to energize small lamp bulbs contained therein and visible from outside through openings in the housing, during the intervals that the housing is rotating rapidly.

The above as well as additional and more specific objects will be clarified in the following description, wherein characters of reference refer to like-numbered parts in the accompanying drawing. It is to be noted that the drawing is intended solely for the purpose of illustration and that it is therefore neither desired nor intended to limit the invention necessarily to any or all of the exact details of construction shown except insofar as they may be deemed essential to the invention.

Referring briefly to the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a toy embodying the features of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3. e

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 3, showing the battery cells moved radially outward during rotation of the housing.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral 10 indicates a disc-shaped or button-shaped housing having at least two diametrically opposed transverse holes or passages 11 therethrough, through which opposed strands of an endless length of string are passed, shown at 12. When the backs of the hands of the user are positioned in the bights 13 and the housing has been initially spun in one direction, upon working the hands back and forth, i. e., toward and away from each other alternately, the housing will rapidly rotate first in one direction and then in the other, with the strands alternately winding together first in one direction, then unwinding and winding together in the opposite direction. While the movement of the hands is thus continued, the housing will continue its alternate rotating motion, coming to rest between reversals of direction of rotation.

The housing 10 is preferably made of two complementary half sections 14 and 15, divided on a median plane 16 transverse to the axis of the housing, and adapted to be locked together with suitable screw or screw and nut means 17 passed through suitable aligned holes in the two sections.

The housing contains a diametrical cylindrical passage or channel 18 extending between diametrically opposed 2,739,419 Patented Mar. 27, 1956 portions of the circumferential edge of the housing, these portions being shown at 19 and being equivalent to end walls for the said passage. The cylindrical passage 18 is. of course formed by two identical semi-cylindrical passages 20 fitted togethercomplementarily, one semi-cylindrical passage being provided in each housing section 14 and 15. I

In one housing section, such as 14, for example, diametrically spaced lamp sockets 21 are secured therein in any desired manner, and are adapted to receive light bulbs, white or colored, 22. Aligned openings 23 in both housing sections 14 and 15 are provided in alignment with the light bulbs. Two battery cells 24, connected in series by a very flexible conductor 25, are slidably mounted in the channel 18.

On one side of the channel 18, metallic supports 26 and 27 are secured to the section 14. The support 27 is in electrical contact with the socket 21, and the support 26 is in contact with the tip of the bulb 22. The support 27 has its end 28 bent at right angles and positioned in the channel '18 at one end of the latter. The support 26 has a spring contact 29 deformed by extending from its extremity and at an angle into the channel 18 at the other end of the channel.

On the other side of the channel 18 a support 27a, similar to the support 27, is similarly mounted but at the opposite (top, Fig. 3) end of the channel; and a support 26a, similar to the support 26, is similarly mounted but at the bottom of the channel. The extension 28a of thesupport 27a is positioned in the upper end of the channel, and the spring contact 29a leading from the support 26a, is positioned in the lower end of the channel. Both spring contacts 29 and 29a are thus positioned radially inward from but close to the support extensions 28 and 28a. Thus, both light bulbs 22 are positioned in separate series circuits with the cells 24, and the two series circuits are in parallel.

It is apparent that, owing to centrifugal force, While the housing is rotating rapidly both cells will be moved radially outward, and the force thereof will cause first the cell end to contact the spring contact 29, 29a and then cause the spring contact to engage the support extension 28, 28a. Hence the light bulbs will be energized during rapid rotation of the housing. As the housing slows down to a stop between reversals of rotation, one or the other of the cells will fall, by gravity, inward toward the axis of the housing, thus breaking the circuit through the light bulbs and extinguishing them. When the housing is at-rest, the circuit will thus also be open.

Thus, while the toy is being worked as mentioned above, the light bulbs will glow while the housing is rapidly rotating and will be darkened during the slowing down period before rotation is reversed and while rotation in the opposite direction is being-accelerated.

For replacement of the light bulbs or battery cells, the housing is merely separated into its two half sections.

Thus a very attractive and provocative toy has been provided. It is to be noted that the length of each cell is such, compared with the length of the channel 18, or with the distance between the spring contacts 29 and 29a, that when the housing is at rest each cell will necessarily have either its entire weight or the greater portion thereof positioned radially outward from the axis of the housing. Hence both cells will inevitably be moved radially outward by the centrifugal force of rotation of the houslng.

Obviously, modifications in form or structure may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

I claim:

A spinning device comprising a substantially disc-like housing having a diametrical channel therein extending between the confines of the circumferential edge thereof,

two battery cells whose sumlength is less thanithat of the channel longitudinally slidably mounted in the channel with the preponderant weight of each on a respective side of the spinning axis of the housing and positioned in series relationship, a flexible conductor connecting the cells in series, at least one lamp socket mounted in the housing adapted to hold a light bulb, said housing having a window for emission of light from the bulb, an electrical contact mounted in the housing at each end of said channel, means connecting said contacts, said socket and said cells in series, and means for rapidly rotating thehousing from a position of rest or slow rotation wherein at least one of said cells is spaced out of contact with the electrical contact adjacent the cell whereby both of said cells owing to centrifugal force are urged radially outward to engage said contacts thereby energizing said bulb.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,623,327 Testino Dec. 30, 1952 

